ORANGUTANS Day Care Nursery in Urmston has launched a fundraising campaign to pay for a piece of equipment that can save lives.

The facility, on Barton Road, needs to find £800 to fund a defibrillator and it also wants to raise cash in support of a baby who is due to start there in October.

Little Amelia Ashall has been treated for eye cancer, retinoblastoma, and manager and co-owner Emma Blelloch, 41, said the nursery wants to make a donation to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Macmillan Cancer Support.

She said this is a way of saying 'thank you' for the care and support the youngster and her family have received.

Emma said she's passionate about the importance of defibrillators and the vital role they can play in treating people who have had heart attacks.

She said: "I went on a paediatric first aid course in January and it's so important - these things save so many lives. You can call an ambulance and it might take 10 or 15 minutes to get to them. You can use defibrillators within seconds and they're so easy to use."

Emma said she would like to register the defibrillator so it can be used by the wider community and said the nursery's fundraising has received a £300 boost from Virgin Trains.

Emma said little Amelia started chemotherapy when she was three months old. She said she felt 'absolutely devastated' when she heard of the youngster's plight.

She paid tribute to her mum, Vicky, and the way she coped with her daughter's illness.

Emma said: "She was such a strong person for her own child, she was amazing. I really did take my hat off to how she dealt with it."

A number of events are planned to raise funds for the respective good causes, including a Ladies Pamper Night on September 25. The event is open to parents of children at the nursery and anyone who wants to support the two good causes. Attractions include free massage and beauty treatments and there will also be a cake sale. Wine will also be served on the night.

* Details of the Ladies Pamper Night will be posted on the nursery website, orangutanschildcare.co.uk.

* Contact us sam.editorial@messengergrp.co.uk or write to Messenger Newspapers, Alexander House, 94 Talbot Road, Old Trafford, M16 0PG. @MessengerNews_ or facebook.com/messengernewspapers